CJC-1295 is an injectable peptide used to increase GH production. This peptide is a growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) mimetic, or analog. That is to say, it works in the same way as GHRH, and may be referred to as being a GHRH.
The principal use of CJC-1295 is to provide increased GH levels, which also results in increased IGF-1 levels. An increase in these levels can aid fat loss and in some instances can aid muscle gain as well. Generally, a product in the GHRH category, including CJC-1295, is chosen as an alternate to using GH, and only rarely is combined with GH.
The other principal GHRH product is Mod GRF 1-29, which in most instances I recommend over CJC-1295. The products differ in their duration of action. Mod GRF has an approximately-ideal short duration of action allowing pulsatile dosing, whereas CJC-1295 has an extended duration of action which prevents such dosing.
It’s important to avoid confusing CJC-1295 with “CJC-1295 w/o DAC.” The latter is not CJC-1295, but rather is misnamed Mod GRF. When a peptide doesn’t have DAC, it’s not CJC-1295.
CJC 1295 is sometimes marketed as “CJC-1295 with DAC.” This simply is CJC-1295.
When to use CJC-1295
This product is most suited to instances where an individual wishes to inject infrequently and is seeking substantive support for GH production rather than a maximum or near-maximum increase. This is because the flat blood levels it provides do not match up well with pulsatile dosing, which is needed for greatest effect. The steady levels can provide very good support for natural GH pulses, however.
Relatively rarely, adverse side effects associated with excessive GH use, such as pain from nerve compression (such as carpal tunnel pain), excessive water retention, or reduced insulin sensitivity can occur from CJC-1295 use. The cause is stimulation of a greater amount of GH production than is suitable for the individual case. The solution is to discontinue use until the problem is resolved, and to reduce dosage when resuming use.
For ongoing support of GH production, at doses recommended below, CJC-1295 does not need to be cycled.
How to use CJC-1295
CJC 1295 is typically provided in vials containing 2 or 5 mg of lyophylized powder, though the amount can vary. The contents should be reconstituted by adding a convenient amount of sterile or bacteriostatic water. If for example 2 mL is chosen and the dosing of the vial is 2 mg, the resulting solution then has a concentration of 1 mg/mL, or 1000 mcg/mL.
At time of dosing, an insulin syringe is used to draw and then inject the desired amount. In the above example, a 1000 mcg dose would require a volume of 1 mL, or “100 IU” as marked on an insulin syringe.
Injection may be subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous according to personal preference. If desired, peptide solutions from other vials, such as a vial of a GHRP product, may also be drawn into the same syringe, if there is room. This reduces the total number of injections required.
When recommending CJC 1295, I ordinarily recommend a dosage of 1000 mcg at a time, twice per week.
Combined use of CJC-1295 and a GHRP
As with Mod GRF, CJC-1295 use can be combined with use of GHRP, but if using a GHRP, for superior results I recommend combining Mod GRF with it rather than CJC-1295.
The most important reason for this is observed results. The principal cause of it is that the DAC modification results in relatively lower levels of free peptide. In and of itself, this would be a bad thing, but it’s counterbalanced by the lower levels being sustained. However, if creating peaks with a GHRP, it’s more efficient to have higher levels of free GHRH peptide in, so to speak, “lock step” with those peaks. Mod GRF does this, while CJC-1925 does not.
If choosing CJC-1295 anyway to stack with a GHRP, dosing of the CJC-1295 remains as recommended above, while GHRP dosing will be typically 100 mcg at a time, or 50 mcg at a time if using hexarelin.
Pharmacological class of CJC-1295
CJC-1295 is in the class of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) mimetics. GHRH is also the name of the naturally-occurring hormone in the body, but the natural compound is not used in bodybuilding or as a performance-enhancing drug due to its high cost of manufacture and its extremely brief duration of action.. CJC-1295 is a modified version of the first 29 amino acids of GHRH, together with addition of a “Drug Affinity Complex” or DAC. The combination of modifications provides a half life of about 1 week, and steady blood levels after injection.
CJC-1295 amplifies GH production in the same way that GHRH does. Administration does not initiate a pulse of GH release. Because CJC-1295 provides steady blood levels, it increases the amplitude of natural GH pulses on an ongoing basis. It does not combine especially efficiently with a GHRP, because the DAC modification results in relatively lower ongoing levels of free peptide
Conclusion
For maximal effect in increasing GH production, rather than CJC-1295 I recommend Mod GRF 1-29 in combination with a GHRP, but for support of natural GH production CJC-1295 can provide a convenient solution with injection frequency of only twice weekly. Many have been pleased with the results from CJC-1295 use in bodybuilding, performance enhancement, and “quality of life” applications.
About the author
Bill Roberts is an internationally-recognized expert on anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). He received a bachelor degree in Microbiology and Cell Science and completed the educational and research requirements for a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at a major American university.
Bill entered the nutritional supplement industry prior to completing his doctoral thesis but his education was invaluable so far as being able to design/improve nutritional supplement compounds, since it was in the field of designing drug molecules and secondarily some work in transdermal delivery.
His education was not specifically "geared" toward anabolic steroids other than expertise with pharmacological principles having broad applications. This has allowed Bill to provide unique insight into the field of anabolic pharmacology with knowledge of points which he would not have known otherwise.